


The Total Drama Hunger Games

by skvllbvnny



Category: Total Drama, Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race
Genre: Archery, Best Friends, Blood, Blood and Gore, Character Death, Explicit Language, Hunger Games AU, Hunting, Implied Relationship, M/M, Major Character Injury, Team Escope, Violence, unlikely friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-18 02:36:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11864871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skvllbvnny/pseuds/skvllbvnny
Summary: Chris has invited the campers back to another season of Total Drama! He's kept it under wraps but upped the price to fifty million dollars. But there's a twist that Noah was never expecting.





	The Total Drama Hunger Games

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this back in 2012 before I entered high school. But I rewrote it this year for y'all to enjoy while I work on other stuff. There are very few excerpts the original, which was only 15 pages. This one is about 43 with size 11 fonts in Open Office. I hope you guys like this, sorry it's a weird concept, lmao.

This was it. Another thrilling season of Total Drama, hosted by the always cheerful and creative Chris McLean. This, according to Chris' own words, is going to be the biggest and the absolute best season that the world may ever see. So much so that he urged everybody to watch what he had in store for them. He paid money out of his own pocket for more than 100 channels to show this season nonstop. He promised them that if they did watch, they were in for the best season that he could offer and one that they soon wouldn’t forget. Every single contestant that has previously been on Total Drama, as well as the Ridonculous Race, got invited back and he made sure every contestant would return. In return for their help making this an incredible season, the sum of money was upped to around 50 million dollars. Nobody was going to let an opportunity like this slip by and risk losing a grand prize such as that.

He rented the biggest yacht money could buy just to get every contestant here at the same time without any delay in his strict schedule. Nobody heard anything about this season prior to arrival, not even the season name. It was supposed to be a secret. Chris made sure every bit of information was locked up tight between his producers and the very few remaining interns that worked alongside him. If anything leaked, the surprise would surely be ruined. All they knew about this season was how much prize money would be awarded to them if they won. The yacht would take them to the desired location, where Chris would be awaiting for them patiently.

Everybody on the yacht was mingling with one another, either reuniting with past friends or enemies, talking to other contestants from other seasons and getting to finally meet them, or keeping to themselves. New friendships were already being formed amongst the crowd. Noah was one of the contestants who kept to himself, though. It’s been quite a while since he’s seen a lot of his friends. He was in his early twenties now, as were many of the original cast. Some of them he hasn’t seen since he was still in high school. He lived on his own now, leaving behind his family for a life of nothing but working and playing video games for hours on end in his bedroom or reading books and starting his own personal library. It was a life that suited him. He wanted nothing more but to be happy and he truly was.

He did make it a point to say hello to Emma, the one whom he had previously thought he loved. Things didn’t work out because of the distance among other things, but there was still plenty of friendship between them. It ended mutually a few months before Noah moved out on his own. They still managed to talk every day, or at least when Emma wasn’t busy with work. Upon arriving on the yacht, they met with a hug and a few friendly jokes. Even Kitty, her sister, greeted him with open arms. The conversation was filled with memories and happiness from a simpler time. But she promised Kitty she would stay with her as she greeted her old friends, so she temporarily bid Noah goodbye. Owen even stopped to say hello to his little buddy before going off to greet his other dearly beloved friends. After it seemed like his hellos were finally over, Noah made the decision to sit on one of the plastic lawn chairs in solitude, staring out at the waves parallel to him. He let the soft waves lull him into a trance of thought. Private islands, owned by the richest families in Canada, would pass by and Noah, momentarily, would fantasize about owning one of them. Not like he ever would, but he could dream. Although, with this prize money he had the possibility of winning, he might be able to buy one and finally be all by himself.

During his deep trance, he didn’t notice a pair of arms wrap around his head and his sight being blocked off.

“What the hell,” he mumbled before looking up to see bright orange curls dangling inches away from his eyes. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Oh come on, I know you missed us,” the friendly voice said. It was one of the only friends Noah made on the island back during his time.

“Of course, how could I forget the girl that got herself in trouble with every government agency?”

“I’m here, too,” Eva grumbled from behind them.

“Hey, Eva, glad to see you’re here, too.”

“How have you been? It’s been years,” Izzy exclaimed, crawling to Noah’s feet like a weird cat. Noah didn't mind; this was just how Izzy was.

“It’s alright, I’m alive. I see you guys are, too, surprisingly.”

“Somehow Izzy managed to stay alive AND out of trouble,” Eva smirked. Izzy laughed and tossed her hair out of her face.

“I’m ready to win this new season. That’s a whole lotta money to spend.”

“I can finally give myself a vacation,” Noah joked, throwing his head up to the sky to watch the clouds drift by.

The boat lurched to a stop immediately, causing Izzy to fall off the chair and hit her head on the ground. Noah stood up and looked over the side of the boat to notice the golden sand and a rickety old dock below the boat. The island looked strangely similar to Wawanakwa, but not quite. It was much bigger and looked much more intimidating than Wawanakwa. Noah couldn’t help but wonder what Chris had in store. He didn’t notice any dining commons or cabins. He wondered for a moment if Chris moved them somewhere that wasn’t visible or if that was part of a challenge of some sort. Knowing Chris, he wasn’t exactly known for treating his contestants to luxurious cabins and the best food in the world. Things just keep getting worse and worse with each passing season, he thought to himself.

One by one, the contestants poured out onto the dock and were led to the sandy beach by Chef, one of the many faces Noah instantly recognized. It looked like he aged quite a bit since their last meeting. But he looked almost happier and more willing to do his job this time around. Noah assumed Chris gave him a considerable raise or something like that. Chris was nowhere in sight just yet. With Izzy and Eva trailing behind him, Noah found a good spot up front near where Chef instructed them to stand. Everybody was still chattering until a megaphone with a familiar voice broke through the noise.

“Welcome back, campers!”

“Oh God,” Noah mumbled under his breath. That was a voice he didn't miss.

“I see you all haven’t aged a day! I see several new faces and some very old ones, too,” he began, eyes peering to the crowd. He still had that shit eating grin on his face that never seemed to fade. “Welcome to the newest season of Total Drama! This time, we have a much better incentive to motivate you all: fifty million dollars!”

An erupting sound of cheers filled the air before Chris began to speak over the sound of the contestants. “Seems like you’re all very enthusiastic about this season. I’m glad. There is so much in store for you during this season, you all better get excited!”

“What’s this season even about?” Zoey shouted from the crowd. She was a fan favorite and made several appearances in seasons, so her name was widely known to fans of the show.

“Glad you asked, Zoey. I had a little bit of an idea back while I took my small hiatus. Our ratings have been dropping since I took that break and it hasn’t been good for us. This idea is sure to make things, as I’d like to say, explosive.”

“So, spit it out,” Heather demanded. Noah cringed physically when he heard her voice. Bitter memories were beginning to flood back.

“You’re all trapped here until one person remains, that’s what I was getting at.”

There was a weird hush over the crowd like they were waiting for a punchline. Nobody thought it was real and he was just playing with them, like a dumb joke that Chris was known for.

“You’re not serious, right?” Laurie asked. Noah remembered her as one of the hippie freaks from the Ridonculous Race.

“Nope, this is most definitely real right now. Chef and I worked hard to come up with the season that’ll revive this once known loved series. We know how much our viewers love violence and aggression. What better way to help raise ratings?”

"Chris, you can't do that! We have families back home! What would they think about this?" Owen blurted out. He looked like he was about to cry; it was an awful time when even Owen, the happiest boy anybody could ever meet, was on the verge of tears. Chris smirked.

“You returned here, you signed up for this. By coming back here, you agree to participate in this year’s season of Total Drama. You still get the prize money, though, so think about that. That is if you survive past the first night.”

Noah turned around to see the yacht was already beginning to pull away from the shore. He was tempted to run after it. He could already tell others were thinking about it. It was like Chris could read their minds. A few soft cries could be heard throughout the crowd.

“Come on now, don’t act like this is the end of the world,” Chris said, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

“Dude, you’re fucking forcing us to kill each other,” Eva shouted angrily. Izzy held onto her shoulders, restraining her from going to lunge at Chris. Chef was ready behind him with a baseball bat in case she tried it. Eva knew it was no use, but it wouldn’t stop her from at least dreaming of caving his face in.

“But that’s the fun of this. Think of it as a hunger for killing that I’m letting you satisfy. Chef and I are very generous for that. Don’t worry about being too weak or anything, Chef and I are making sure you’re getting exactly 24 hours of training before you begin, starting in just a little bit after I explain the rules to you. We stocked the training room with any kind of weapon that we’ll be supplying at the beginning of the battle, and we have a special starting spot that has backpacks filled with weapons and other little goodies for you to practice with. And anybody back home can sponsor you and send you good little gifts. Hopefully, it makes it to you before you die. Or if we even let you have it.” He laughed at the last comment. Nobody except Chef joined in.

Noah pulled at his collar nervously, feeling frightened for his own life. He was weak, but he knew how to kill because of video games he played in the past. But this was an actual life or death situation that no amount of prior virtual training could help him with. He couldn't come back to life after this, just like the heroes in his video games. The possibility of being picked off in the very beginning was a real idea. There were stronger opponents and he wasn’t exactly the most liked on the island. Noah could immediately think of some of his friends whom would die off in the beginning because of the same reason. There were contestants with advantages, like Sanders and MacArthur, who were cops. There were contestants with disadvantages, like Gerry, Pete, and Owen, who had either weight or age against them.

“Are we allowed to make alliances?” Dawn, a girl from a few seasons after Noah, softly asked.

“Duh, I’m not that awful. You can team up with anybody you’d like. But only one will win, remember that. No exceptions. If you gotta kill an alliance member, you’re gonna have to. I’m going to be strict about this rule.”

Noah hated thinking about his own mortality, let alone his friends. He could feel panic setting in.

“Without further questioning, let’s head down to the training area. Chef will be here with me to make sure you all get down there safe and soundly. We can’t let any blood be splattered just yet.” Chris motioned to Chef, who had a grin that made Noah’s stomach drop. He held his trusty bat in his hands, swinging it playfully and carelessly around. He motioned for the campers to turn their attention to Chris, who stood there waiting for everybody to follow him.

The campers followed Chris a short distance to a staircase that led underground to a huge room. There were dummies lined up against the walls, a box of several small throwing knives, more swords than any of the campers have ever seen, bows and a whole basket filled with arrows, and a few clubs lined up neatly against the wall and some sandbags nearby to use them on. Chris really thought this out thoroughly. Noah was impressed but also terrified with the amount of effort he must've put into this season.

“Your twenty-four hours starts now. You may rest up against the wall out of everybody’s way, but keep in mind you might want to get as much practice in as possible. Good luck, campers, and may the odds be ever in your favor.”

With that, Chris and Chef disappeared up the stairs and sealed the staircase so the door was inaccessible to the campers. There was a silence in the room as everybody stood there, trying to process what was happening to them. It felt like a dream.

"Guys, I can't do this. I want outta here," Anne Maria cried, her thick Jersey accent still prominent even with the fear in her voice. She was choking back tears and her mascara blackened her eyes to the point where she couldn’t see anymore. She planted her hands on her hips and frowned, not even wiping off the black streams now trailing down her face. "I know I am going to be the first to die. I mean, look at me." Her voice was still wavering. Dawn looked at her, streams of clear tears dripping down her face uncontrollably now, too.

"At least you can hurt someone without feeling bad. I can't bring myself to kill anyone. It's not in my nature. Every living soul deserves a chance at life," Dawn let out more tears as she spoke. Lindsay was still a bit clueless, but she was still scared beyond belief. She stood next to Heather and Alejandro, clutching Heather’s arm to the point where her nails dug into Heather’s skin. Heather, though, smiled slyly and shrugged.

"Piece of cake. You losers should be excited about something like this.”

“What is wrong with you?” Sanders asked Heather, crossing her arms, “are you a fucking psychopath?”

“No, I just want that damn money.”

“Come on, my dear, this isn’t a game,” Alejandro replied to Heather, grabbing her hand. She shook him off and rolled her eyes. Alejandro backed away from his girlfriend, looking at her with a fearful expression.

“If you need me, I'll be practicing over here. Anne Maria, you can join me," she said as she walked away from the crowd and picked up a bow and arrow. Anne Maria followed along with Heather’s new posse. Alejandro stayed behind and shrugged, letting her be. Lindsay, sensing that she was unwanted in the group, stayed behind and hung out near Beth, her best friend, instead. The others watched Heather as the arrow pierced the dummy right through the head on her first try. A few of them wondered where she got such a keen eye and great coordination like that. Courtney walked next to her with a sass in her hips and a growl in her smiling teeth. Even through the first season up until their most recent together, the two of them had a steady competition going on that got increasingly worse as time passed. She picked up a bow and arrow also and shot it right through the heart of the dummy without any issue. She then glanced over at her rival with a dirty look and then walked away to a different station proudly like a lioness after a kill. The rest of the campers set off to the other stations to get started on hours of training. Time was wasting.

The room overwhelmed Noah. There was too much to do and too much fear to actually do anything. Izzy seemed to be fascinated with the clubs while Eva tried her hand at throwing knives. Noah was terrified at knowing that his family was at home, hearing from Chris about this new season and having to deal with the trauma that they’ll soon have to face. They’re getting funeral arrangements ready, calling family members and probably praying for him. Thinking about it made him sicker. He was nauseated, but stopping to rest would only make this harder for him. Resting wasn’t going to ease the pain.

He made his way over to the throwing knives. He glanced over at Geoff, who was next to him. His knife hit the wall behind the dummy and he scoffed. His girlfriend, Bridgette, and his best friend, Brody, stood behind him encouragingly. Either that or they were waiting their turn.

"Agh! I can never get this right," he screamed out with frustration.

Bridgette put her hand on his shoulder and flashed a sweet smile at her boyfriend. “You’ll do it, you have twenty-three hours to perfect it,” she said encouragingly.

“Thanks, babe,” he replied. She planted a kiss on his cheek. When he tried again, he got the lower abdomen. The cut was deep enough to make a good mark on the dummy. Brody and Bridgette clapped while he jumped up in the air excitedly. They all gave each other a group hug and continued on with their training, Bridgette took the weapon from him and tried it herself.

The other campers were making good use of their time with practice. Trent and Duncan were having a duel with swords while Tyler mediated. Stacy and Sugar were practicing their knife throwing and trying to one-up each other playfully. Katie and Sadie were watching Justin show off wherever he could. Others were still trying to make room where they could to get in as much practice as they could. Nobody could tell the time other than Chris’s voice coming in over the intercom. “Twenty-two hours remaining!”

He then noticed Cody, tossing knives at the dummy parallel. Cody and Noah had a weird history together. They’ve had moments where they kissed while they slept, or cuddling on each other while they slept. In fact, Noah really never stopped thinking about the two of them. He couldn’t help but be filled with jealousy when Sierra talked to him like they were dating. When Emma and he were together for the short time period, he never really stopped thinking about Cody but pushed his feelings to the side so he could focus on her. But he couldn’t completely suppress them like he wanted to. Cody was still what he thought about all the time. Secretly, as much as Noah hated thinking about this, he hoped that Cody would win so he can at least be comfortable living with the money and he wouldn’t have to die a painful death.

Noah forced himself to stop focusing on what other people were doing and tried his hardest to focus on throwing in a straight line. The first few tries stuck into the wall deep, leaving permanent holes. It was a start, Noah thought to himself encouragingly. He kept at it, eventually slicing up the dummy considerably. Just that was enough to get him motivated to stay up longer and endure through the despair and the fear setting in.

The night was long and tiring. Training got repetitive and taxing. Other campers were already falling fast. Some were beginning to give up already, sitting against the wall and nodding off. There were only about ten hours remaining; Noah forgot already. Exhaustion was getting the better of him. But Heather and her little squad were trying their hardest to come out on top.

“Put some fucking work into it,” Dakota called to Anne Maria as the Jersey girl launched an arrow into the wall behind the dummy. Anne Maria lined the shot up and squinted hard to get a good look at the target poorly drawn on the dummy.

“This shit is hard,” Anne Maria growled at her, “stop houndin' me.”

“I know, it took me at least a thousand tries before I got it,” she replied with a simple shrug. Taylor stood behind her with a bow and arrow in her hand, prepared for the next open slot. Her mother was behind them, cheering the girls on. Amy and her sister Samey stood next to Taylor; Amy looked much more confident than her weaker sister. Samey wanted to be anywhere else in the room, training with the others. She wanted to be able to have a chance. But no, her sister refused to let her go anywhere and forced her to stay with her bitchy friends. Samey longfully looked over at Jasmine, who was talking to Ezekiel and Miles about something. She dreamed of being included in that conversation and feeling like an actual human instead of a dog being toted around on a leash by their owner.

“Try again,” Amy called out, “put your fucking back into it or something, god damn.”

“I’ll try,” Anne Maria replied. She tried again. It missed. She rolled her eyes and dropped the bow.

“One of y’all fucking try it.”

“Samey, go try it,” Amy demanded as she shoved her twin over to the fallen bow. With weak legs, Samey picked it up and grabbed an arrow from the box.

“Here goes nothing,” she whispered to herself as she positioned the bow and let the arrow loose. It went straight through the bullseye.

“Dude, what the hell,” Taylor called out. The group was practically speechless.

“She’s better than you are with that thing,” Dakota nudged to Amy. Instead of an angered expression, like Samey expected, there was a pleased one.

“Good job, Samey, you’re actually useful to the team.” Samey was unsure whether that was a compliment or an insult.

“Nine hours remaining! Keep going, campers, we’re almost there!”

Noah decided it would be prime to take a nap. Nobody would be here to kill him, now was not the time for the violence. Chris was watching them, anyways. He didn’t even notice himself falling asleep against the wall next to a few others until he awoke to the sound of Chris’s voice announcing only an hour left. He was the only one still resting against the wall. Springing up, he looked around to see what was left to do.

He circled around the room like a vulture just to see Dawn, who was trying to figure out what she could do. He took the opportunity to walk over to her, smiling gently in fear of making her nervous. Once she noticed him stalking over to her, her whole body tensed up and her eyes widened.

"Hello, I'm Noah," he introduced. He stuck his hand out to the trembling girl, motioning for a handshake. She peered at him with a little bit of suspicion before her feared expression melted into a sweet smile. She finally reached out to grab his hand to shake it. Her handshake was weak, matching her timid, sweet voice.

"I'm Dawn. Very nice to meet you, Noah! You seem really sweet, not like the other campers I’ve already talked with."

He truly thought he could help her out. She grabbed his hand again and then hugged him with all of the strength she could muster, which wasn’t a lot to him. He wrapped his arms around her. He was shocked at how instantly she warmed up to him and how much she already trusted him enough to give him physical contact. But he wasn’t going to complain. For a brief moment, he wondered how she would deal with Izzy’s overly optimistic personality and Eva’s hard exterior. That is if she survives the beginning of the games.

"It will be okay,” he mumbled to her, still holding her in his arms. She started to cry again. It took him a minute to find the courage to break their embrace, but having a nice hug during these times was something that they both desperately needed. She managed to smile through the tears. The reassurance was all she needed to feel a bit better.

"I know I'm not gonna win, so many of the others have better survival skills than I do. I hope you win, Noah," she said to him. She was such a sweet girl with a heart of gold. He knew he would save her life any day if it came down to it. Somebody with a sweet, caring personality should not be wasted in such awful circumstances.

"So, in about an hour we enter the arena. But if we meet again in there, I would gladly help you out as much as I possibly can," he said to reassure her again. She nodded and smiled up at him. Shockingly, he was taller than her. Usually, other people towered over him.

"Okay, I can do as much as I can to aid you. Thank you so much, Noah. It means the whole, wide world to me," she said with a gentle tone. The two of them talked about a semblance of a plan that Noah formulated while resting and even chatted about their pasts before coming onto the show. They became fast friends and kept practicing together until the intercom came on. Everybody heard Chris’s annoying voice once again. His tone was disgustingly cheerful. But why wouldn't it be? He wasn't the one who was getting killed. He was safe, wherever he was currently. Chef and he were probably laughing and drinking champagne in front of a luxury television that focused on them, his little pets. They were poking fun and making hearty jokes about them right now as they spoke. Noah was filled with rage and an overwhelming feeling of depression that he couldn't shake off.

"Okay, campers. Now is the time to put down your weapons and listen to my instructions. Now, there is a room that has your name above it down the hallway that I have just unlocked for you. Don’t even think about trying to dodge the games by not entering your designated room, in moments this hallway will be filled with water and you will drown. So, if you value your life, enter your room as soon as you can and you will be brought up to the arena on a pedestal. Do not fall off the pedestal or you will be blown to bits and pieces by mines instantly until I ring the gong and then the games will begin. Got it?"

Slowly, a wall collapsed to reveal a thin hallway. Surely enough, the campers silently poured into the hallway and were sorted into their rooms without leaving anybody behind. Noah’s was, luckily enough, near Eva’s room. Eva and Izzy stopped real quick to wish him luck, but before that, Noah told them about Dawn, pointing her out in the crowd. She stepped into the room, her whole body noticeably shaking with anxiety. They agreed to watch out for her and then went to find their room. Noah knew there wasn’t much time left.

He noticed Duncan watching him the whole time. Instantly, traumatizing memories flooded back of Duncan bullying him and embarrassing him in front of the others. He could tell that he was planning to team up with his new buddy, Scott, and they would eliminate Noah right off the bat.

Could he swim away? Did Chris set up the island so the water was electrified? Did he even have the power to do that?

Noah had no time left to think. He forced himself to step into the room. Seconds later, the floor rose below him. He looked into his own reflection's eyes in the glass of the elevator. In no time, he was lifted up into the middle of the island. He noticed the other campers, each on their own pedestal and waiting to go. Duncan was watching him with malicious eyes. Dawn was still shaking. Heather was scoping out the area, looking at her friends and gesturing for them to meet with her. In the middle of the pedestal circle was a big cornucopia shaped structure filled with backpacks and random weapons for the taking. Cody wasn’t in his eyesight. The plan was for Eva, Izzy, Dawn, and him to grab what they can -- but not get too cocky and take more than they can carry -- and make for the deep forest. What they needed was shelter and a safe place to stay before they even think about going to kill anybody. If they would even kill anybody.

The countdown seemed like forever. Noah’s heart was beating out of his chest. But the gong sounded. And when it did, Noah’s feet were making their way to the cornucopia with as much speed as possible. He saw Dawn already trip over her own feet and Brick immediately come up behind her on all fours like a rabid dog with a knife in his drooling mouth. In the blink of an eye, Eva shot a knife through his heart and went to lift up Dawn in her strong arms. Dawn looked terrified but still clung onto her savior. Eva tossed another knife at Staci, who was rapidly approaching her with a spear, before taking off into the woods. Laurie picked up the spear that Staci had left behind and dodged an incoming knife as she and Miles ran into the woods together. Noah barely even had time to process that he had grabbed a backpack. Cannons fired one after another to signal each death.

He felt a hand wrap around his ankles and force him down to the floor with a yank. The familiar green haired enemy Noah had been afraid of was now looming over him.

“You’re done for,” Duncan hissed as he reached up for Noah’s exposed neck. Instinctively, Noah managed to punch him in the teeth before standing up and grabbing a spear off the inner wall of the cornucopia. Duncan spit a good portion of his teeth out onto the floor in a bloody heap. Some of the blood dribbled down his chin and stained his neck and collar. Noah sent the spear straight through Duncan’s chest without processing the consequences beforehand. With a harsh scream, he fell to the floor like a heavy weight was pulling him down to the floor with it. The life drained from Duncan’s eyes as he collapsed and slammed against the ground. A cannon sounded to confirm it. For a second, Noah wondered where Duncan's buddy Scott was and if he would be avenging his new best friend’s death.

Noah grabbed another backpack and bolted in the same direction. He saw Dwayne get clubbed to death, his son lying dead next to him. Heather and her group were nowhere to be seen. He noticed Chet and Lorenzo run towards him but lose him when they find Gwen running for her life in an opposide direction. Owen didn’t even notice Noah as he limped towards safety, wherever that may be. He was going to die within the hour if he didn't bandage that up properly. The thought crossed his mind of killing Owen to take him out of his misery, but there was no time. Nature would take its course and he would, hopefully, die painlessly later on. He wished he could stop and help, but his life was too valuable. He made a promise to Dawn and that was his priority right now.

Noah didn’t have a lot of time to think about his first kill. Duncan's family was probably cursing him and wishing it was him instead of their beloved son. Noah felt disgusted with himself. But the pity party didn’t last long; Noah had to leave before his own life was taken from him. He could hear the voices of Sky, Topher, and Shawn behind him and the sounds of swords clattering against each other. At least he thought he did. Paranoia was setting in already and it hasn’t even been ten minutes. The time was the last thing on his mind. Right now, he had to find the others.

Meanwhile, Heather and her close knit group were still fighting for their lives. Heather had already taken down B, who came behind her and almost slit her throat. With the help of Anne Maria, who had taken the role of second in charge, they managed to find a good path that would lead them to the river. They kept running through the woods, leaping over stray twigs and logs. Until Taylor heard a loud crash. She called for the group to stop to investigate for a second.

“Mom?” she called out. She didn’t dare look below her until Heather pointed out the pool of blood staining her new shoes.

Taylor’s world stopped for a second.

A cannon fired.

Her mother was unresponsive to any touch. Taylor bent down to shake her body. Nothing. Taylor instantly froze up.

“Taylor, we have to go. Come on,” Amy exclaimed, pulling at Taylor’s shoulders. As much as Taylor wanted to stay behind and be with her mother and mourn her, she couldn’t and risk getting killed, too. She kissed the top of Kelly’s lifeless body before turning around and running away with the remainder of her team.

Above them, Sam sat in the trees, holding a bow and arrow. If Dakota wasn’t in that group, he would have sniped them all and taken their goodies. But he figured he’d give them a chance. It was the least he could do for his love. For now.

Eva and Dawn managed to meet up with Izzy deep in the woods near the river. The sun was still high in the sky when they managed to find her hanging from a tree, looking out for them.

“Izzy, come down. I have the girl.”

Izzy giggled and dropped herself from the branch, landing perfectly on her feet. Dawn jumped back a bit and cowered.

“Hi! I’m Izzy. Nice to meet you, Dawn,” she exclaimed as she reached out her hand for Dawn to shake. Dawn reluctantly shook her hand but was relieved to see that someone with as much stamina and strength as Izzy and Eva were on her side now. She didn’t feel as helpless with two strong women on her team. The happy moment was interrupted by the sound of a cannon fire in the distance.

“I hope that’s not Noah,” Dawn squeaked.

“I’m betting it’s not,” Eva replied, putting a hand on Dawn’s back, “he’s got two backpacks and a spear. He’s got more strength than he thinks he does. I saw him take down Duncan back in the cornucopia.”

“That’s, uh, good,” Dawn replied. She was unsure whether that was good or bad. She was just happy that Noah was alive.

“Noah could take down a bear if he really wanted to,” Izzy interjected.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Eva joked, “this is Noah we're talking about.”

There was a rustling in the leaves behind the group. Eva was already prepared to shoot a spear through it and Izzy grabbed a knife until they realized it was just a baby bunny. It hopped over to Dawn, looking up at her and scratching at her tights. It was almost as if it was begging for her to pick it up and cradle it like a baby.

“Hello, little dear,” Dawn cooed, picking up the bunny and stroking it on the head. “My, my, you must be terrified with all these cannons firing. I don't blame you, little one.”

“Whoa, you must be an animal whisperer,” Izzy said, patting the bunny on its head. The bunny responded with a twitch of her ear. She crinkled her nose when Dawn kissed the top of her head.

“I’m naming her Danielle. Maybe she might help us out, like a cute guide.”

“As long as you don’t die trying to save that thing,” Eva said, glancing down at the bunny, which was already nesting in Dawn’s green sweater. It found a warm sense of comfort from Dawn’s love.

They heard yet another cannon fire.

“We have to find Noah,” Izzy reminded them, scoping the area for any sign of him. Much to her luck, she found him in the distance, looking around. She bolted over to him, screaming his name as loud as she could.

“As if she couldn’t make it more obvious that we’re here,” Eva joked to Dawn. Dawn giggled as Izzy darted back to them, Noah trailing behind her as fast as he could. Izzy was undoubtedly quick. Hellos were exchanged. Now that everybody was here, they could begin to explore around the arena and get their bearings.

In all the panic that has been clouding Noah’s mind, he still couldn’t stop thinking if Cody was okay or if one of those cannon shots were signaling his death. He didn’t even check to see if he made it to the Cornucopia or if he was picked off instantly. He wasn’t the strongest out of all those who were here, but he could probably survive for a little while on his own. If Noah saw him, he’d invite him to join them and hope he’d accept. Nobody in the group would mind; it’s just more backup and more protection.

“Okay, game plan,” Eva began as they stopped by the wide, rushing river, “let’s find shelter and find food first and prioritize that. Noah, keep an eye out around us and search for caves. Izzy, you and I can look for other people and we kill them on sight if we have to. Leave them be if they’re harmless. Dawn, you look for any food. You’re good at identifying berries, right?”

“How’d you know?” Dawn asked, proud of her talent. It was nice to hear some confidence in her voice for once, even if it was fleeting.

“Perfect. I think we might stand a chance.” This was the first time in a while that Eva sounded hopeful and actually happy. There were a lot of surprises today.

With nimble feet, they stepped on slippery stones soaked with the water and crossed the river with ease. Dawn clutched Danielle and made sure she didn’t squirm. Holding Danielle put Dawn in a better state of mind almost like Danielle was a therapy animal. Nobody was opposed to keeping a bunny around; not only did she make Dawn happy, she was also a cute addition to their makeshift family.

The sun was beginning to set. Luckily, Dawn found some unknown meat that looked fresh. The carcass was so badly destroyed that the animal was unidentifiable. Nobody was going to be picky. Meat was meat. Izzy scooped it up and carried it with them, having no problem with the flies that were now circling around them or the animal blood that was now staining her clothes. They found a nice, deep burrow that was easily concealable with just a few leaves. Climbing inside was a squeeze, but nothing that they couldn’t manage. It was deep and hollow. There was just enough room for everybody to get some space and even enough space for a campfire. Everybody sat down and got comfortable on the soft dirt within the cavern. Dawn let go of Danielle, who immediately curled up in her lap.

“Let’s get this meat cooked. Izzy, we can get to that right now. Noah, you and Dawn can relax for a bit. Check what’s in the backpacks or something,” Eva instructed. Noah handed Dawn a backpack and then grabbed the other one.

Noah could hear familiar voices from outside. He froze, looking out and only seeing several feet from outside. The whole cave was quiet as they listened.

“Can’t you have some sympathy? My mother is fucking dead and I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye,” Taylor shouted through sobs.

“I can make Samey fucking kill you right now. We’re all going to die if you keep crying,” Amy shouted back.

“Maybe if you'd stop using her as a fucking slave-”

“You’re both going to get us killed if you two don’t shut the fuck up and look around for anybody,” Dakota complained, tapping her foot against the leaves.

“Can we keep going? It’s almost night and we’re gonna fucking die if we don’t keep on moving,” Anne Maria pleaded.

“We can set up a camp near the mountains. Nobody’s gonna wanna hike in the middle of the night. Even for a kill,” Heather responded.

“But do we gotta walk all the way there?” Dakota asked in an annoyed tone.

“No shit, dumb bitch. Chris ain’t gonna teleport us there. Not even if you ask nicely.”

“Jesus, no need to be a cunt about it. Let’s just get fucking going then.”

“I hate my life,” Samey complained. Amy slapped her in the face and left a visible handprint.

“Shut up and stop complaining,” Amy responded. Samey shut her mouth.

Noah and Dawn could hear their footsteps becoming more distant once they were out of their view and then, eventually, silence fell on the island. The sun was low in the sky and the moon was almost in full view of the entrance of the burrow.

“They sound like great girls,” Izzy joked as she got a fire started. Eva found a flat slab of rock to use as a frying pan.

“Can’t believe Amy is using Samey like that,” Dawn replied.

“She’s that fucking lazy, I guess,” Eva replied with a shrug. She didn’t know her motives behind it, but she assumed she was either evil, lazy, or a mix of both. Probably both.

Noah unzipped his bag and pulled out the contents. There was a green blanket, some rope, a few knives, a purifying serum to add to water to make it drinkable, and a healing lotion to rub on cuts and burns. Nobody in the group has yet to be injured too badly, so that hasn't been opened yet. Hopefully, nobody would need it.

“Keep the healing lotion in the secret compartment,” Noah told Dawn. She nodded and stuffed it right back where she found it.

“Eva, there are two blankets. We should each share one,” Noah informed her. Eva nodded, agreeing with him.

“I’ll stick with Izzy. You two can share since you two seem to be closer.”

Noah didn’t have a problem with sharing with Dawn. Dawn didn’t, either. It worked out perfectly. Once the meat was fully cooked, the group split it up evenly and they feasted like there was nothing to worry about and everything was fine. For the night, everything would be fine. They made sure to conceal the exit of the cavern once the fire was put out and the cavern was aired out.

Just then, a familiar voice boomed over the island.

“Good evening, campers! Good news! Only 20 of you have been killed so far.”

Noah waited to hear Cody’s name among the dead campers. He just wanted to get his misery over with.

“Their names are Duncan, Dwayne, Mike, Junior, Cameron, Justin, Brick, B, Dave, Tyler, Zoey, Staci, Kitty, Jay, Mickey, Beth, Ellody, Stephanie, Owen, and Kelly! Good job to those who have survived this far, that’s a huge accomplishment. Keep in mind that just because tonight is over, the game isn’t over. Only one will remain. Good night, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

“Poor Owen,” Izzy responded. She looked down at her knees. Her usual optimism was washed away and she looked drained of any emotion she had.

“Dude, that sucks,” Eva replied to her depressed friend, placing a loving hand on her shoulder.

“I wish I got to at least say goodbye if that makes sense.”

“You had no idea,” Dawn replied, flashing an innocent smile at Izzy. Izzy appreciated the gesture.

“As awful as I feel saying this, I’m relieved that Duncan is off my back,” Noah said, pushing his back against the cave wall and grabbing the blanket for him and Dawn. Dawn cuddled up beside him and rest her head on his shoulder. Danielle adjusted her sleeping position accordingly.

“I was sure that Brick was gonna get you, Dawn. Good thing I got you in time.”

“Thank you, Eva. I thought you were going to kill me.”

“Nah, Noah told me about you before. I’m not that heartless.”

Izzy was already fast asleep. Eva said good night and eventually joined her in her slumber. But neither Noah nor Dawn could manage to fall asleep.

“Hey Dawn, I need to tell somebody about this. I figured you’re the best one to tell.”

“Yes, Noah?”

"Uh, I have a crush on, uh, somebody here,” he finally spit out shamefully.

"Is it me? Because I don't think of you as a lover, Noah,” she replied, cocking her head. Noah shook his head and waved his hands.

"No, Dawn, don't worry. It's Cody. I miss him. I never told anyone how much I really like him. You’re the first one to know about this. Please, please, please don’t tell Eva or Izzy. The last thing I need is them teasing me."

She gingerly placed her free hand on his lap reassuringly. It felt like she radiated a feeling of love wherever she went. “They won’t tease you, Noah. Cody is safe out there. Keep that in mind. You’ll be with him soon, hopefully.”

There was a silence. But Dawn began to sob uncontrollably into her sweater sleeve, hiding her face. Noah turned to her.

"What's wrong? Who died?" he asked. Her eyes were red from all the crying.

"All of those people will never get a chance at life. Mike and Zoey were in love. They were going to get married and start a family together one day. But they are never going to now. Cameron was the smartest kid I knew, now his knowledge is erased forever. I hate this, Noah.”

Noah kept thinking about the names Chris read out. His heart rate picked up again like clockwork and he grabbed Dawn’s hand.

“They're out there, dead and being carried away to wherever Chris is going to dump them. It's horrible. I wanna go home! Please," she sobs as he tries unsuccessfully to calm her down. It was breaking his heart to see her so broken like this. It didn’t occur to him that Zoey and Mike were in love and they would have brought their own kids into the world. And that is never going to happen unless this is all a dream. A bad nightmare. This has to be.

His heart shattered while he wrapped his arms around Dawn as she quieted herself down. His mind was racing with awful thoughts about the lives taken tonight.

"Noah, can you promise me something?" she asked him. She momentarily glanced up at him.

"Sure." She made herself comfortable in his arms and stopped sobbing.

"If I die, can you please win the games?"

It hits him.

She is going to die. Cody is going to die. Eva, Izzy, everybody he had once known as his friend is going to die. He is going to be alone if he even makes it through the day. He hugged her and cried along with her.

"I promise. For you. For Cody. For Eva. For Izzy. For every camper in here that have already had their life stolen from Chris and Chef and the ones that will have their lives stolen," he reassured her. She smiled gently, weak and tired.

"Noah, one more thing. Can you sing me a lullaby and then kiss my forehead like my mother used to do? I miss her terribly and it would calm me down a whole lot. I hope I’m not asking too much from you," she asked him once again.

“Of course,” he responded quietly. How could he refuse? She wanted the comfort of home on what could be her last night. She rested her tired head on his stomach as she stroked her head and sang to her softly, as to not wake their friends up.

“ _Lullaby, and good night, in the skies stars are bright._

_May the moon's silvery beams bring you sweet dreams._

_Close your eyes now and rest, may these hours be blessed._

_'Til the sky's bright with dawn when you wake with a yawn.”_

Noah plants a soft kiss on Dawn’s forehead as her breathing slowed down. She was finally in a deep sleep, away from the evils of the world. Being the only one awake was getting to Noah already. He closed his eyes that burned from all the tears. He tried his hardest to keep himself up, but he was no match for his tiredness and he had to surrender himself to his nightmares.

_He stood there, frozen in place. His limbs felt like they were glued to the floor and to his sides. It was back in the old dining hall where, at one point, there were laughs and jokes shared between each other. Where the worst challenges were just eating weird food. Man, those were good times._

_Chris held a bow and arrow in his grip tightly, shooting the campers one by one until blood ran from their foreheads. And when it came to Cody, Chris paused and peered directly into Noah’s eyes from next to him._

“ _Noah, this one’s for you!”_

He woke up with a jolt, crying and sweaty. He took deep, shallow breaths as Dawn still slept peacefully on his stomach. The short gasps of air refused to stay in his lungs. His heart raced at the speed of sound. Dawn raised her head after a few seconds. She looked at him and a worried look spread across her face.

"Nightmares?" she asked him, already getting a sense of what was going on. He nodded and wiped his eyes. She embraced him tightly and reminded him that it will be okay. He wasn’t sure how much he believed it. One person had to win this, and it sure as Hell wasn’t going to be him. Eva and Izzy had a much better chance. Before he could really think of anything else, he heard a scream and a cannon fire. Instantly, Eva and Izzy awoke and were ready to fight whatever threat was outside. But the threat seemed to have already passed; Izzy peeked outside to see nothing around. A sense of relief washed over the group.

“How did you guys sleep?” Eva asked, pulling herself up to a sitting position. She took her hair out of her ponytail and adjusted it again, getting the stray hairs out of her face.

“Alright, could’ve been better,” Dawn replied.

“Nightmares,” Noah simply replied. Eva nodded. She understood.

“It was warm in here, at least,” Izzy responded.

“It gets decently warm in here at night. I guess that means we’ll never freeze to death,” Dawn said, stroking Danielle.

“We need to find more food at some point. We’re gonna starve if we put it off any longer.”

“We have some time. Let’s rest for a bit and enjoy some time together,” Noah suggested. Nobody seemed to oppose, so they decided to rest and get a little bit of bonding time in before they thrust themselves into the sights of the bloodthirsty campers they once called friends.

On the other side of the island sat two best friends, together in harmony. Hearts beating in sync. The two of them somehow managed to escape and find each other amongst the chaos of the Cornucopia. Neither of them had survival skills, but they managed to pull through the first night. Stephanie had attacked them earlier; they managed to outrun her.

A rustling startled the two, causing Sadie to get her club ready and Katie to hide behind her.

“Don’t swing,” called out a familiar Southern belle. Out climbed Sugar, clothes tattered and hair a mess. It was a much different look from her typical, beautifully made up self. “I’m not gonna hurt y’all.”

“How can we be sure of that?” Katie whimpered from behind Sadie.

“I got y’all a gift. Don’t worry,” she replied, holding out a spare container of healing serum. “Found it on Mickey when he died yesterday. I don’t have much use for it right now, I know y’all can get more use outta it.”

Sadie reluctantly reached out to grab it and smiled sweetly at Sugar. “Thank you so much, We didn’t grab a backpack at the beginning of the Games. We wanted to get to the forest before we got killed.”

“Want to form an alliance?” Katie asked, moving out from behind the safety of her best friend’s back. Sugar nodded excitedly.

“I know where Sky, Courtney, and Ella are restin’ and I know they got some goodies we can take. Y’all willin’ to help me out?”

Sadie and Katie nodded in unison. They spent last night freezing in the safety of a high tree without any food and water. The idea of killing for a simple blanket and food was a heinous thought, but in this kind of situation, it was warranted. That blanket was beckoning for them to come grab it.

“I already got a few kills on my plate, Stephanie and Gerry had it comin’ to them,” Sugar bragged, flipping her hair back like a movie star. The two friends looked at her in amazement.

“Thank you for getting Stephanie off our backs, I thought she was going to take us both out,” Sadie replied.

“She was comin’ for me too, hun. A girl’s gotta do what girls gotta do.” There was a bit of a pause before a cannon went off. Katie sighed.

“Where exactly are Sky, Courtney, and Ella?” Katie asked, looking around. There wasn’t anybody besides them in sight.

“By the river. Kind of dumb of them to camp near a landmark like that,” she joked lightheartedly. She motioned for the two of them to follow her as they began to make their way to the riverside. Good thing it wasn’t that far of a walk; the last thing they needed is to be killed before they got to kill. But -- like Sugar said -- Sky, Courtney, and Ella was busy eating their breakfast: a bunch of random berries that Ella had found from earlier that day. Three backpacks sat by their side. They didn’t notice the three girls behind them, out of their clear sight.

“Just go behind and we each get a girl. I’ll take Ella. Katie can get Sky. Sadie, you get Courtney.”

Sadie and Katie didn’t oppose to the idea. Those backpacks were calling out to them. The idea of a warm night’s sleep toyed with their morality. Katie planned on pinning Sky down and snapping her neck. Sadie had her club and Sugar had a machete she found. Without any delay, the girls attacked.

Sadie had no problem instantly killing Courtney. Neither did Sugar. Two cannons went off to signal their death.

Katie didn’t know how strong Sky was.

Sky pushed Katie off and grabbed her knife, pinning Katie down to the ground and sinking a knife into her head. Sadie didn’t even have time to react until Sugar threw her knife through Sky’s chest, causing her to collapse on Katie’s lifeless body.

Two cannons fired.

“Katie?” Sadie called over. She ran over to her best friend’s body and tossed Sky’s off to the side like a ragdoll. Katie’s eyes were glossed over and unmoving. Sadie hoped that her best friend’s eyes would blink and she could be able to recover from this injury. No amount of serum could cure this and she knew it deep down.

“Katie, don’t leave me now, Katie! Come on! Wake up!”

“Sadie, she’s gone.”

“I-”

Sugar picked up the backpacks and began to quickly pour all the contents into one to make it easier on her. “Sadie, dear, I’m so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen to y'all.”

Sadie was speechless. There were no words that she could say. She was sobbing into Katie’s shirt, getting fresh blood all over her. There were more sounds behind them before another cannon fire.

“They’re gonna get us, we have to go,” Sugar called out.

“Leave me here. I’m not leaving. I can’t go on without her. I'd rather die.”

Sugar shrugged. “If that’s what you want. I’m not gonna talk you outta it. I’m sorry I got y’all into this mess.”

Sadie didn’t reply to Sugar. The footsteps got dangerously close. There wasn’t much time for Sugar to waste trying to convince Sadie to leave behind her closest friend and continue on with her. Sugar grabbed the backpacks, taking back the serum she earlier gave to her new friends and darted away deeper into the woods without a trace. Sadie looked up to see Sam, bow and arrow pointed directly at her head. She wasn’t afraid anymore and wanted nothing more than to be with Katie, somewhere nice and safe wherever that may be.

“Please, Sam,” she begged “make it quick. I miss Katie so much.” She held Katie’s head in her arms like a baby. Sam was taken aback by the strange request but understood when he realized what had happened before he showed up. He wasn’t that heartless as to leave her to live without her best friend and ignore her request.

“I’m so sorry, Sadie,” he said before releasing the arrow. She smiled weakly up at him and mouthed a thank you to him.

Her death was quick. She collapsed on top of her best friend, rolling next to her. Sam sighed while he pulled the arrow out of Sadie’s head. He wiped the blood off onto Sadie’s shirt and stuffed it back in his quiver. To make things better for them, he connected their hands so they were holding onto each other. He smiled weakly at his work.

“Together at last,” he mumbled before making his way deeper in the woods.

Noah was beginning to get restless. The four of them were starving. The sun was high in the sky, indicating that it was around noon time. If Noah was at home, he’d be making himself a turkey sandwich with rye bread with a side of chips and pickles, just the way he always had it. He was a picky eater typically. In these circumstances, he will take what he gets and will be happy with it. Getting food was a blessing right now. His stomach was growling at him endlessly.

“As much as I hate exposing ourselves to the outdoors right now, we gotta get food before we starve,” Eva groaned, pushing herself up onto her knees. Her head was pounding. Izzy was antsy in anticipation; not running around and letting out energy made her bones ache. “Dawn, you can stay behind if you’d like. We need someone to guard the burrow.”

“That’s fine with me. Danielle and I will keep watch,” Dawn replied. Noah smiled. Danielle perked her ears up and began to hop around the cavern to exert built up energy.

The trio made sure the coast was clear before climbing out. The air was warm and the sun was beating down on them.

“Let’s go left this time,” Noah suggested. They haven’t been that deep into that part of the woods yet.

“Make sure if you guys see anybody to alert the others,” Izzy responded.

“Same for food,” Eva added.

They walked for what seemed like hours. Izzy counted a total of three cannon fires. Nobody wanted to guess who they were. Not a clue could be given as to who they even were, anyways. It was best to not think about it and to keep using their brain power to do their assigned job. A moving shadow passed by them and stopped them.

“Guess who!”

Noah turned around. He knew that voice anywhere, but he couldn’t exactly pinpoint who it belonged to. Eva and Izzy were already prepared to kill.

The silhouette shifted past the group like a ghost. Noah watched his friend’s backs with baited breath. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Izzy fall to the ground. She let out a groan but brought the silhouette down with her. Izzy rolled out from under her.

“Damn it, It’s just you,” Eva exclaimed, going to step on the silhouette’s wrists to pin her down. The weird purple haired girl howled in pain as her arms were ground into the dirt by Eva’s sneakers.

“Sierra, what are you even doing here?” Izzy asked with a chuckle, asserting her dominance over Sierra. Her knee was bleeding badly, despite the strong demeanor Izzy gave off. Not as bad as Owen’s, but there was still considerable damage. At least there’s now a use for the serum, Noah thought. He was unable to take his eyes off the crimson blood trickling down her leg.

“I’m trying to find Cody,” she screamed.

“We don’t know jack shit about his location,” Izzy responded. Eva growled and spit at Sierra. Sierra dodged it just in time.

“Even if we did, why the fuck would we tell you?” Eva pressed down a bit harder.

“Get the fuck off me,” she hissed. Eva shook her head slowly.

Noah remained speechless.

“You shouldn’t have messed with Team Escope then,” Eva said before she nodded to Izzy. Izzy understood what Eva was hinting at and with one swift movement, she stabbed Sierra and left her to die there, bleeding out onto the leaves below her. Noah hasn’t heard the name ‘Team Escope’ in a while. God, he missed it so much more than he'd like to admit.

Eva stepped off Sierra’s body and sighed audibly. “I didn’t want to have to do that, but she gave me no choice.”

They could hear a helicopter above, filming their every move.

A cannon fired. Then the noise of the intercom interrupted whatever thoughts they had.

“Hello, campers! Congratulations to those who have made it this far in the game. Not an easy task for a bunch of teenagers,” Chris said, his voice echoing. Eva scoffed.

“We’ve had a few complaints, er, about things not being too spicy in the arena. Chef and I are getting bored up here. Lucky for you, we have some events in store for you. Keep your eyes peeled today for them, that’s all we gotta say. Good luck, campers! May the odds be ever in your favor.”

Noah swallowed hard and turned to his friends. Izzy looked like she was deep in thought, kicking her heels with her shoes and pursing her lips.

“Events,” she finally said out loud, “what kind of events are we talking about here?”

“What does Chris even have the capabilities to do?” Eva interjected. Noah was thinking the same thing. There wasn’t much for Chris to do. Even with total control over the campers right now, he still wasn’t a god or anything. What would Chris even come up with? Millions of questions were running through Noah’s head. He was trying his hardest to rationalize this. He just couldn't.

“We should get moving. I don’t like being vulnerable like this,” Eva finally said. She sounded worried. They could tell she sensed something.

“Hold on real quick,” Izzy said, reaching into Noah’s backpack. She unzipped the secret compartment within the backpack and pulled out the healing serum.

“Good thinking, Izz,” Noah responded with a smile. She softly rubbed the serum into the cuts and winced. But, like magic, the cuts healed and all that was left was dried blood.

With Izzy now leading the group, the three of them kept walking. There were no signs of food and the sun was beating down on them.

Maybe the day was going to be longer than they thought.

Across the island, a young brainiac managed to find herself some berries. Scarlett was thrilled to finally be able to eat after starving herself through the first day and almost passing out of exhaustion. Her orange bun had fallen out, clothes tattered, and her shirt was no longer tucked into her skirt. She hasn’t slept at all since arriving. No time for sleep, she repeatedly told herself through the day. The berries tasted so good, almost like a sweeter strawberry. If she made it back to the bush at some point, she’d definitely have to pick up bigger handfuls.

The smell of burning wood made Scarlett remember back during her time on Pahkitew Island. She didn’t realize the smell was coming up behind her. Once the smoke became thicker, she turned around to see the flames approaching her at an alarming pace.

“Fuck,” she screamed out loud at the top of her lungs. She bolted away, hurtling over rocks and fallen trees. The air was getting smokey and Scarlett’s lungs were filling up with the toxic fumes. But if she stopped, that would be it for her.

If Chris wanted views, he was getting them now.

Scarlett tripped over her own feet and watched as her glasses shattered. “God damn it,” she grumbled as she forced herself to get up and keep going, leaving the lenses behind to be engulfed in the flames. If she got out of this, she could get as many pairs of glasses as she wanted. The key here was to make it out alive.

A familiar silhouette was the only thing that Scarlett could make out. It looked like Sugar, a face she had remembered from the last time she was trapped on an island. No matter what the outcome would be, she desperately attempted to get her attention.

Sugar was waiting around for Josee, an ice dancer. She lost her partner somewhere along the way to finding anybody that can help her with the cuts all down her leg. Sugar let her have one of the containers of healing serum in exchange for an alliance. Josee went off real quick to find some food for the two of them while Sugar would stay behind, but she’s been gone for a little while now and Sugar was starting to get nervous.

“Scarlett, dear, is that you?” Sugar called out. Huffing and puffing, Scarlett ran up to her and wrapped her arms around her.

“We need to get out of here, the island is burning. We’re gonna die. Come on,” she warned, shaking Sugar violently. The madness was setting in.

“I’m waiting for Josee, she’s grabbin’ some food,” Sugar responded in a much calmer tone. She could clearly see the flames, but she didn’t feel any urgency. The flames kept approaching and they weren’t going to stop.

“Sugar, come on. She’s going to burn, too. We have to go.”

Sugar sighed. She really didn't want to lose yet another alliance member. Dealing with the loss of Katie and Sadie was already a heavy weight she had to carry through the remainder of the Games. But there wasn’t much time for debating. The forest was rapidly burning down.

There was no sign of Josee anywhere. Scarlett grabbed Sugar’s hand and they ran for their lives.

On the other end, Eva noticed the sky blackening with smoke and soon after, helicopters rushing to put it out. She raised an eyebrow, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her from finding food. It’s been hours since leaving and Noah was beginning to let worry fill his mind again.

A cannon went off. It didn’t help.

They stopped by the river again and used a bit of the purifying formula to make the water drinkable. They cupped their hands, one by one, and drank up the water. It was as refreshing as river water was going to get. Another cannon went off and now Noah was bordering an anxiety attack.

One thing Noah has always admired about Izzy is how receptive she is to other’s emotions. Eva was never like that. But Izzy could read people like a book and know what they were thinking about. Almost like clockwork, she placed her hand on Noah’s back and gave him a nod. Tracing her thumb over the folds of his shirt and playing with it a bit calmed him down a great deal more than he thought it would. Eva barely noticed what was going on with those two. In the distance, she watched a deer fall onto its side and Alejandro run over to it.

“Wait here,” she told her friends while keeping a strict eye on her prey. Dropping the backpack onto the floor, she sprinted across the river, careful as to not fall in, and toppled Alejandro to the ground. Noah and Izzy contemplated going to help until Alejandro didn’t get up. A cannon fired as Eva lifted up the deer. It was no problem for her whatsoever. Carrying it across the river posed no problem for her, either.

“Alright, found dinner. Let’s go see if Dawn is even still alive,” she proudly said. Noah didn’t even want to think of the possibility that Dawn was found and murdered. She was helpless on her own. Noah made a promise to her and he wasn’t about to break it over something dumb like just not coming back in time.

Noah, snap out of it, he thought. He forced himself to think positively. Being negative would only cause him to worry and he won’t be able to fend for himself in case something happens.

The burrow was fairly close by. Eva didn’t break a sweat, despite the 130-pound deer hoisted around her shoulders. Blood was soaking through her clothes. Izzy teased her about the blood, but Eva retaliated with a comment about the day old animal blood splattered against her chest. Eva tossed the deer in first, startling Dawn and causing her to squeak. Everybody then slid inside.

Just like last night, Eva and Izzy worked hard to cut up the deer and get the good meat from it. Dawn and Noah helped out as much as they could with the little knowledge they had on cooking. Noah had sandwiches and takeout every night. Dawn was typically a vegan. Izzy counted three cannon fires by the time the deer was fully cooked and ready to serve.

A downside was that they had to cook and eat as much as they could. It wasn’t like they could ask Chris for a refrigerator or ask a sponsor to send one. The meat would rot no matter what. After they were completely done for the night and ready to turn in, Izzy said she’d toss it so the wild wolves could eat it or another camper who was starving and desperate for any food could have themselves a great time trying to digest that. The meat was thick and a bit hard to chew. It still tasted pretty good, very similar to regular beef.

The day was long. Nobody had the energy anymore. Dawn managed to get outside for a bit to go to the bathroom. But once she heard a sword fight in the distance, she crawled back into the burrow and didn’t leave again. Of course, Danielle was right behind her the whole time, keeping watch of her owner. Dawn swore they were a match made in heaven, the cool moon child and animal familiar duo that she’s always wanted to be.

During a conversation about how lovely the weather was, the sound of the intercom booting up sent the group into silence.

“Good evening, campers! I bet you are all wondering which one of your brethren have been slain on this busy day.”

Izzy and Eva looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Chris had to make it dramatic, or else it wouldn't be a Total Drama season.

“Today’s victims are Gerry, Mary, Sky, Ella, Courtney, Katie, Laurie, Sadie, Pete, Brody, Rodney, Sierra, DJ, Alejandro, Geoff, Gwen, and Harold! Congratulations on those who managed to keep their butt safe, and may you make it through the night!” When the broadcast ended, Eva turned her attention back to her bit of meat.

“Poor DJ, he was honestly the nicest kid I've ever met,” Izzy said. Eva shrugged, meat in her mouth.

“I never met him. He was kind of a pussy.”

Noah sighed audibly. “Wonder how Bridgette is dealing with being alone, now.”

That conversation ended there. Talking for too long about their friends reminded them of their own death. Nobody wanted to think about that, especially right before bedtime. After dinner, Izzy tossed whatever little meager amount of meat was left outside and sealed the entrance with leaves. The air was chillier than it has been over the course of the couple days they’ve been stuck here. Their blankets were inviting and calling out to the quad of sleepy friends.

That night, Noah had a much better dream. Everybody did. Until Noah felt a pair of clammy hands on his shoulders, forcing him to open his eyes.

“We need to get out immediately. They found us,” Eva warned him with her backpack hanging off her back. Without a response, he scrambled to pack up what was left spread out around the burrow. There was barely any time before they bolted away from the group behind them. Running up the hill felt like weights were dragging their legs down. As they ran downhill, though, Noah heard a piercing scream from behind. Dawn was behind them, clutching her knee through her ripped tights.

“Finally,” Heather screamed as she kicked her head down onto the leaves. The trio ran to go help their aid but was stopped by Heather’s posse. Somehow, Amy and Anne Maria managed to restrain Noah and kick him down to the floor. Eva and Izzy were held at knifepoint by Heather and Dakota, preventing them from making any sudden moves to save their friend.

It was useless.

“Samey, take care of business,” Amy demanded. Taylor shoved the defenseless twin over to Dawn, who was cowering under her. She was shaking uncontrollably like she did when the Games began. Noah felt helpless. He felt agony.

“Please forgive me,” Samey whispered to Dawn. She aligned the bow and arrow to her chest and hesitantly released it.

Dawn let out a breathy scream. Her head collapsed onto the dirt below. She sat up and looked down at her own blood seeping through her sweater. Danielle was covered in Dawn’s blood and she hopped away into a nearby bush.

“Samey, you fucking dumb bitch, you didn’t even fucking kill her. God, stop being useless for once in your fucking life,” Amy screamed, releasing her grip on Noah and backhanding her incompetent sister across the face. Samey lurched back, almost toppling over onto the floor with Dawn.

“Leave me alone,” Samey yelled back in retaliation, grabbing Amy by her wrist and throwing her onto the ground.

“You fat fucking whore,” Amy called, “I let you come along with my friends and you act like this.” She motioned for one of the girls to do her fighting for her while regained her balance. Anne Maria let go of Noah, who instantly ran over to Dawn. With one swift movement, she slit Samey’s throat and let her body fall into the pool of her own blood. A cannon fires. Anne Maria wiped the little bit of blood off onto her clothes and grinned.

“Good fucking riddance,” Anne Maria chuckled and kicked the body. Blood gushed out from the gash in her neck.

“Let’s fucking go,” Amy grumbled, still fuming over her exchange with her twin, “if I keep looking at Samey's ugly face, I'm going to throw up.”

Eva and Izzy were both pushed to the ground by a pair of heels to their backs, stunning them temporarily while Heather and her crowd ran away into the distance. Eva looked up to see Noah, holding Dawn in his arms. Any bit of stoicism he had melted away. She was clinging to her life; vision spinning, breaths shallow. She couldn’t feel her chest anymore and her lower body was growing painfully numb.

“I-I-” she sputtered out.

Izzy and Eva ran over. Dawn used whatever energy she had left to glance up at Noah. Her eyes were empty, lacking any feeling.

"Noah,” she coughed out, “thank you for e-everything. I-I love you so much, and I hope you find Cody. Win, Noah. You have to win. For me."

Noah nodded, tears dripping down onto Dawn’s collar. She smiled weakly, showing a bit of her bloodied teeth. Eva and Izzy reached to grab Dawn’s hands, but Dawn didn’t reciprocate the gesture. Her hands were freezing and shaking. Blood was streaming down her pale lips and into her hair, staining it maroon.

“Sing me the lullaby. Like you did before.”

Noah swallowed hard. He shut his eyes and began to sing to her, barely making the words out through his sobs.

“ _Lullaby, and good night, in the skies stars are bright._

_May the moon's silvery beams bring you sweet dreams._

_Close your eyes now and rest, may these hours be blessed._

_'Til the sky's bright with dawn when you wake with a yawn.”_

She wasn’t going to wake up.

Her eyes steadied and her breathing ceased. Eva looked to Izzy and then to Noah, who refused to take his eyes off Dawn. The cannon fired. He shut her eyelids and kissed her once again on the forehead, moving her hair out of the way. Danielle hopped out of the bush and Noah picked her up and hugged her tightly as he cried out Dawn’s name. Her name echoed in the woods and flowed freely in the breeze like she was still there. His friends stayed silent; they were unable to string together a sentence that would make any of this better for him.

“Eva, go grab those flowers over there. Get extra ones for Samey, too,” Izzy instructed. Eva did so, running over to the thick orchids that grew nearby. Making two neat bouquets, she placed them gingerly on top of the two dead girls. Nobody could blame Samey for killing Dawn. It wasn’t her doing. She was just as much as a victim as Dawn and deserved a funeral, too. Against Amy's words, she was still human.

Fittingly enough, it started to rain. Clouds turned the sky dark gray.

“Chris, I hope you’re fucking happy,” Eva growled through her clenched teeth. No matter how hard she tried to remain emotionless, tears were welling in her eyes. Meanwhile, Izzy was sobbing quietly to herself. She buried herself in Eva’s arms, who welcomed her with a warm, loving embrace.

A helicopter flew above them, momentarily stopping and lowering itself. The three moved out of the way quickly, scrambling to the brush nearby. Dust blew everywhere; it virtually made a sandstorm and reduced any visibility. Noah could only make out a claw dropping down from the helicopter and wrapping its silver fingers around Dawn. The bouquet of orchids blew off into the sandstorm’s winds. The helicopter retracted, bringing Dawn up into the copter and then coming back for Samey. The trio watched the claw retreated back into the helicopter before flying away to continue patrolling the island. Another cannon could be heard off in the distance.

Noah felt numb. Numb with rage. Numb with sadness. Just numb.

Another cannon blast. Another moment that passed.

He had a promise to keep, though. Giving up meant letting Dawn down. He promised.

“Guys, let’s go. We need to win for Dawn.”

Sugar and Scarlett awoke from their restless sleep, high in the trees on the flatter grounds. Birds were chirping loudly, amplified by the peaceful air of the atmosphere. Sugar wiped the sleep from her eyes and gently nudged Scarlett awake.

“We’re gonna waste away if we keep sleepin’ up here,” she said in an overly cheerful voice. Scarlett was finally feeling back to her old self after being able to get some rest. Her legs no longer ached like they did before, especially after escaping the blaze from the event Chris had in mind. Too bad she was still ridiculously tired.

“It is a long climb down,” Scarlett warned, “please be careful.”

“Well, of course,” Sugar confidently replied, hugging the tree trunk and slowly stepping onto sturdy branches. Scarlett followed her lead carefully. It didn’t take too long before their shoes sunk into the dirt below. A clap of thunder shook the sky. At least they thought it was thunder. It sounded too much like a cannon blast. Either way, they had to get going before anything bad happens.

They didn’t plan on walking too far. Sugar had already used a whole container of healing serum on her former allies and a little bit on herself and Scarlett.

“Have y’all killed anybody yet?”

Scarlett turned to her and blinked a few times. “Not anybody yet.”

“I’ve had to kill a couple kids so far, not my proudest moment. But ya gotta do what ya gotta do, that’s what I told the others I’ve paired up with.”

Scarlett looked around, already distracted by the surrounding noises. She thought she could hear somebody lurking but she couldn’t tell if it was her paranoia or not. Sugar grabbed her wrist and stopped both of them. It began to drizzle down on the pair.

“Ya hear that?”

Scarlett shook her head. The two of them kept quiet momentarily in hopes of hearing the noise again.

Off in the distance, the sound of a bow shooting through the air and a scream could be heard. A cannon fired. Then Scarlett heard her name being called.

“Max?”

The short boy ran up to her followed by a taller, much bigger nerd holding a bow and arrow.

“Who’s this fella you got here?” Sugar asked, looking up at Sam. Sam bowed like the gentleman he was.

“Sam, at your service,” he responded, reaching out to kiss her hand. Sugar blushed lightly and giggled.

Max and Scarlett couldn’t resist at least one tight hug. The two didn’t talk much after Scarlett’s episode back on Pahkitew Island, but the bond they managed to form was still there.

“Who did you just take out? Was it anybody we knew?”

Sam shrugged. “Not sure if you knew him, but I think it was that weird Chris fanboy.”

“Oh,” Sugar replied, “him.”

“I wonder how much he likes Chris now,” Scarlett remarked dryly.

Max and Sam looked at each other and chuckled, not expecting that reaction from her. “Would you guys care to form an evil alliance with us?” Max asked, rubbing his hands together.

“You’re back to your normal self, I assume,” Scarlett responded.

“We’d love to team up with y’all, we’ve been out here tryin’ to survive and we need a good marksman to help save us,” Sugar replied, heavily hinting at Sam. Too bad it was going over his head. Scarlett just let it happen, not even correcting that only Sugar would really need the saving. She was fine on her own and now she was even better with a familiar friend on her alliance.

It began to pour in the arena. Eva, Izzy, and Noah kept walking. Each of them huddled close to each other to preserve their warmth, not really talking much except for the usual comment or the suggestion to change direction. They were growing hungry and weak. Even Izzy, the one who has lasted days without even thinking about food, was getting restless and starving.

“We should consider finding a new shelter,” Noah suggested.

“If we keep walking straight, we’ll run into a part of the island that we’ve never been before,” Izzy responded, “maybe Chris has something cool hidden there like a food truck or a vending machine.” Eva sighed; they could only wish.

“We gotta think of where to get food and water, too, realistically,” Eva added, “I wish we had something to collect this rainwater with. Too bad Chris is a fucking moron.”

Izzy and Noah couldn’t help but laugh at Eva’s comment. Eva cracked a smile, too. A rare but beautiful sight.

“I wonder how long Chris would survive out here,” Izzy replied finally after wiping a tear from her eye.

Noah shrugged and continued to look around the endless forest. “Probably not long, I don't think this is his kind of environment. Like, hosting a show here for only a few months is one thing. Living in this kind of place is another.”

“He’s all talk and no walk,” Eva responded, “the dude probably can’t even function on his own without Chef.”

“Chef might stand a chance out here,” Noah replied.

“The dude is ripped as shit, of course, he could,” Eva joked.

“Reminds me of that doofus, Justin, I think his name was,” Izzy added. The three broke out laughing.

Lighthearted conversations like this helped them forget their heartbreak temporarily. It was refreshing to hear everybody laugh a genuine laugh and not a nervous chuckle.

A cannon firing was a grim reminder of where they were as well as a grim reminder that they won't be escaping anytime soon.

Across the island, buried deep underground, was a kid who had spent a good portion of his life coming up with imaginary scenarios of apocalypses and terrifying circumstances. Right now, he had managed to get two fires going simultaneously, roasting a fish over each flame. He had also found a way to craft a soft bed out of sticks and what blankets he grabbed at the bloodbath. There was even a place to bathe if he needed to. Traps were expertly placed in case anybody snuck in and tried to harm him while he slept. The cavern he dug himself was big enough to accommodate a whole family. It was his work and he was damn proud of it.

The storm continued outside while Shawn prepared his dinner. This cute little camp has been his since the first day of the Games. Instead of sleeping, like the other dumb campers, he dug himself this camp and then, the next day, he began working on the interior as well as weapons. He's been doing mostly hunting and avoiding any sort of conflict. Luckily, he wasn't seen as an easy target, even for the most experienced of hunters and killers on this island. Maybe the others were threatened by his survival skills enough to leave him be. Who knows? He didn't.

He managed to eat the two fish in one sitting. Once he was completely full and the fish were completely devoured, he tossed the bones and leftover skin off into the trash corner. It was about time for him to rest up. Tomorrow, he would repeat his routine. First thing in the morning, he'd go hunting, swinging through the trees with a few knives in his backpack. He'd then go home and cook. To pass the time, he'd go for a short swim like this was a vacation to him. But only if it the weather was nice and if there was nobody nearby that could kill him. The only thing on his mind right now was sleep. And that's exactly what he was gonna do.

“Eva, where are we gonna sleep?” Izzy asked. Her feet dragged behind her. Noah was getting tired, too, but the trauma induced anxiety was catching up to him. He was spiraling into a silent anxiety attack.

“We gotta find a place, first,” Eva groaned. She was just as tired as her friends but had a better time hiding it.

“Hey, what about that hole? What's that?” Izzy exclaimed as she ran over to the strange hole. It was wide enough for her to squeeze through without any issue. Eva and Noah decided to wait outside patiently, not risking getting stuck in the hole. They heard a loud crash of rocks bashing together and looked at each other, startled.

Shawn heard footsteps and jolted awake instantly. He grabbed the bowie knife resting next to his bed and watched the redhead gingerly walk over to where he was resting with her knife. Neither had time to process the presence of each other until Shawn spoke the first words.

“Don't come any closer,” he threatened, knife pointing towards Izzy, “I have traps surrounding me. You'll be killed instantly if you try to take my food, weirdo.”

“Oh, was that what those were?” Izzy laughed, “I thought those were just weird decorations you had up. Kinda tacky, if you ask me.”

Shawn swallowed hard. He then noticed that the ropes that strategically held up his traps were severed. They dangled from the ceiling of the cavern, now completely useless. Izzy shrugged when he turned to her in shock.

“You've got some nerve,” he nervously said, backing up against the dirt wall. He was debating on lunging at her or if that would be a terrible idea.

“I mean, I was just wondering if we can sleep here for the night,” she informed him, “you got a nice place here.” He shook his head.

“G-get outta here. I built this myself,” he stuttered, “and I'm not gonna get roped into getting kicked out of my own home.”

. “Dude, come on,” she responded, inching closer to him. He could hear the disappointment and domination in her voice. By now, she was mere inches away from his face. He could smell the dirt and animal blood on her shirt.

“I'll kill you right now, you bizarre bitch,” he threatened.

“So what? I can cut you up. And I got backup upstairs. Don't try it, chicken legs.”

Without responding to her, he swung his knife. Izzy backed up out of the way of the knife, barely missing the blade. When he realized he missed, he lunged towards her and pinned her down to the ground. The two went down with a grunt. A cloud of dust was kicked up from underneath them.

“Eva, Noah, get down here and help me with this loser!”

Her friends both ran down in a flash to see their friend roll on top of the now defenseless survivalist. He was flailing his legs in an attempt to kick her away from him and give him a chance to defend his shelter from the bandits. But nothing could successfully get Izzy to roll off of him.

“Get out-” Shawn screamed before Eva put her sneaker on his head, pressing down to stun him temporarily. He kept kicking while she then swung her foot and kicked him hard in the head. Blood splattered all over Izzy, covering her face and clothes in his blood. A cannon fired.

Noah's bag gently rustled. Danielle was getting restless. Noah let her out on the opposite side of the room. He didn't want her seeing Shawn's body.

“I guess we found a place,” Eva joked grimly. Izzy groaned as she wiped her cheek.

“I'm gonna get rid of the body,” Izzy said. She grabbed the corpse and swung it on her back with ease. He was lightweight and easy to toss into the wilderness like he meant nothing. Izzy felt a bit remorseful about stealing his shelter and killing him over it, but that's how the Games worked. And she couldn't beat herself down over it.

After that ordeal, Izzy wasn't hungry anymore. Noah and Eva snacked on the variety of berries they found earlier. Izzy just went to bed, saying goodnight to her friends. Danielle followed behind her, climbing on top of one of the blankets

The intercom buzzed while Noah climbed into the makeshift bed. He dreaded this moment for the whole day.

“Good evening, campers! I bet you've been anxious about today's results,” Chris began.

“Not in the fucking slightest,” Eva growled. Too bad Chris couldn't directly respond to her. She had some choice words for Chris right now.

“Today, the fallen campers include Dawn, Samey, Miles, Rock, Topher, Trent, and Shawn! I hope you all have gotten the chance to say goodbye to them before killing them.”

Noah's heart dropped when he heard Dawn's name. He felt a mix of anger and heartbreak.

“Not a lot of killing today. We're not gonna get viewers this way, you know. I guess this means we gotta amp up the events. So, prepare yourselves tomorrow. I hope y'all survive past the night. Goodnight, sleep tight, and don't let the nightmares bite!”

Chris turned off the intercom. Eva balled her fists hard enough to turn her knuckles white. With a swing of her fist, she punched the wall with as much force as she could gather. Dust flew all around the cabin while she let out a loud cry. Tears were already welling in her eyes. This was so out of character for her that Noah was taken aback by the sudden emotion.

Izzy crawled out of the bed and ran over to her friend and wrapped her shaky, bruised arms around her. The blood on her hands and arms was beginning to turn a deep brown. Eva hugged her tightly and sobbed loudly into her shoulder. Noah joined them in the hug soon after. The world melted around them. It was surreal seeing Eva so broken and hurting like this. She was the stoic one of the bunch – always being the kind of friend who can stay strong for any occasion – and now she was sobbing hysterically with Izzy. Noah was the only one not crying; he had no tears left to cry. He felt more nauseated than anything. He had to be there for his friends though. No way would he let them down now.

During the long night, Noah heard whimpering from Izzy at random intervals through the quiet pattering of the rain on the dirt above them. He wondered if she was having a nightmare or if she was crying. Everybody was bothered that night. Nobody had a great sleep. Noah kept waking up with nightmares that rocked his body. He couldn't stop himself from continually sobbing. Izzy kept crying to herself, loud enough to make Noah worry again, but kept quiet when Eva threw an arm around her and pulled her close. Noah snuggled up against them as well and the three would comfort each other while crying to themselves. It was nice feeling warmth, despite knowing that they had to kill for it.

Dawn wouldn't leave Noah's mind. She was telling him “you gotta win, Noah.”

The rain didn't stop. Even in the morning, it continued on. Noah was first to wake up this time. It wasn't as much waking up as it was deciding he can't try to sleep anymore and he should sit up. Izzy and Eva didn't get a great night sleep either. They rolled over to face each other.

“Did any of you sleep?” Noah asked.

“Nope,” Izzy responded. Her eyes were red.

Eva sat up. “I wish I could sleep.”

Noah nodded slowly. He wished he could sleep, too. His whole body ached with exhaustion. But now that he was up, he knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep.

Izzy counted three cannon fires while she and the others made themselves breakfast. Eva was trying her hardest to suppress anymore violent outbursts. Noah just kept his mind off things for a bit. But nothing was working. Noah picked Danielle up and stuffed her back in his backpack, safe and sound. Even though it would be dangerous for her to come with them, it was the only thing he had left to remind him of Dawn. Danielle was his comfort animal and there was no way he'd leave her behind now.

When they left the cavern with everything they could carry, there was another cannon shot off in the distance. Eva sighed but kept her composure. Izzy did, too. Noah was trying his hardest. The air was much foggier than yesterday and the trio wondered if this was just one of the events or if this was just the weird Canada weather.

Two more cannon shots seemed to make things even worse.

“What the fuck,” Eva exclaimed, “why are people dropping like flies?”

“It's probably an event of some sort. Chris is fucking insane.”

As if Chris was listening in on their conversation, the sound of the intercom came on.

“Hello remaining campers, I'm glad to announce that that little bird infestation we've had goin' on is finally over!”

Izzy nodded. “So that's what it was.” They agreed mentally that they were glad they missed the birds.

“To the remaining campers, there's a reward for each of you at the Cornucopia in the middle of the island. It's the thing you'll need the most.”

Noah racked his brain for a minute, trying to think of what materialistic thing he could want. All he wanted was to wake up from this nightmare.

“You can choose to go get it, or you can leave it behind and let one of your opponents come and get it. But I'm not responsible for any problems you run into while you get your prize. Anyways, peace out. Look out for more events!”

The intercom shut off with a boom.

“We gotta go get that prize,” Eva exclaimed.

“It better have something worthwhile in it or I'm gonna be pissed,” Izzy responded, reaching to grab a few throwing knives.

“Alright, Izzy, lead the way to the center. We got some bags to grab,” Noah finally responded. He was ready for whatever was going to happen there, whether he lived or not.

The first to the Cornucopia was Sugar and her ragtag team of friends. With them trailing behind her, she stood in a blind spot with her bow and arrow drew. Their mutual plan was to take out anybody who came into the arena. When Ennui came into view, Sugar released her arrow. Her practice made her an expert marksman. The cannon fired. The same action was repeated for Tammy. Then Jen. Sugar was proud of herself.

Behind them, Heather's alliance crept like banshees behind the four friends. Silently, they tackled them to the ground. Heather and Anne Maria held down Max. Scarlett's wrists were bound to the ground by Amy. Sugar got pushed to the ground by Taylor, the younger girl somehow managing to keep her down. Sam didn't realize that the beautiful girl pinning him to the dirt was his one and only love: Dakota.

“Babe,” he mumbled. She didn't seem to want to kill him.

“Hello, Sam,” she whispered sweetly to him. She leaned down to kiss him. But he soon tasted her blood in his mouth.

She collapsed to the ground next to him, knife sunk into her heart. Blood was beginning to turn her pink shirt a dark maroon. Anne Maria called out for her in hopes that she was still clinging to life by some miracle, but when her guard was down, Sam managed to shoot her in the head. Two cannon shots fired.

“Fuck, you dumb whores, can't even do a job you're given,” Heather screamed. Outraged that her friends managed to get outsmarted by a dumb gamer dude like Sam, she stuck her spear in Max, killing him. Scarlett screamed at her best friend, but just got met with Amy's knife in her head, too. Two more cannon shots. To make it three, Sam made quick work of Amy and took her out. He couldn't remember if Samey was already dead or if she was out there. The third cannon shot was like music to his ears.

Sugar pushed the teenager off of her and kicked her with as much force as it would take to get Taylor on her knees. Taylor didn't have time to react before she felt another blow to her face. Blood was gushing from her cheeks now and pain was coursing through her whole body.

“That's what ya get for messin' with Sugar,” she screamed as she then tackled Taylor while she was still on the floor.

“Get off of me, you fat pig,” she exclaimed, trying to wriggle Sugar off of her. But it was no use; Sugar had a strong hold over the skinnier teen. She looked up at Sam, who had an arrow aimed at Heather.

“I'm not going to die in the hands of a fatass like you,” Heather growled at Sam. Sam just rolled his eyes at her comment. Heather's spear was clutched in her hands, but she was smart enough to know that one false move can cause the end of the Games for her. Taylor could barely move at this point.

So, soon enough, Sam ended Taylor's life. A cannon shot rang through the sky. Sam didn't feel any remorse anymore.

“Who is gonna make the first move?” Sam questioned Heather.

“I don't know, dumbass, are you or should I just fucking kill you?”

“I'd like to see you try, sweet cheeks.”

He let the arrow he had go before she could decide to make the first move, but it missed Heather by not even a half an inch. His eyes widened when he realized his aim was off; either that or she had somehow dodged the lightning fast arrow with some agility she had retained within the past few days in the Games. Heather threw the spear at Sam, not caring where it hit him. It somehow hit him right in the chest, sending him down onto the dirt to bleed out. He lifted his head up to see Heather, standing over him with her heel resting on his bloody belly.

“That's what you get for killing my friends,” she defiantly said, going to dropkick him while he was down. He let out a hideous grunt, spraying his blood everywhere. His cannon finally went off and his blood continued to pour onto the grass even after his death.

“Seems like you forgot something,” Sugar chimed. She pushed Heather down while she was basking in her victory. Before Heather got the chance to fight back, Sugar snapped her neck cleanly and let her body drop down to the floor. A cannon fired.

Sugar brushed her hands off. “There we go-” she was interrupted by an arrow going directly through her brain. She collapsed on the ground, joining the corpses.

Behind her was Jasmine, standing tall with a bow in her hand. She waltzed carelessly over to the cornucopia and grabbed her backpack. When the coast was clear, she darted off back into the woods. She could hear two more cannon shots from behind her.

Jo was next into the Cornucopia. She held throwing knives close to her body. When Devin snuck up behind her, she was prepared to eliminate him. The cannon firing was a sound she had grown used to hearing and one that made her relieved. She had many advantages in the arena. Early on, she made the decision to remain a lone wolf. She could trust nobody and nobody could trust her.

While she ran towards her backpack, she watched the two ice dancers prance over to the Cornucopia. But she was not prepared for the mine that they would set off. She fell backward, dropping her knives with her. Two cannon fires went off, but she could barely hear them. Ringing erupted in her ears, hindering her senses. Her head felt like it would roll off at any minute. She didn't even have time to notice Lightning kill Leshawna from behind her, then manage to grab his backpack and run.

It didn't take long for her to get back on her feet. She picked up the two knives that she could find and ran away without a backpack. She would just have to make do with what she found in the woods.

Noah, Eva, and Izzy heard four more cannon fires on the way to the cornucopia, They were getting nervous. But there was no way they were going to leave the backpacks there. If they weren't there, they would just turn around and go find their own food or water.

“Okay, plan is we're gonna run and grab our backpacks. Look out for each other,” Izzy instructed. Eva and Noah nodded. Noah pinpointed exactly where his backpack was to save him the time and trouble of locating where it was.

On the mark of three, the three took off running. But Noah felt a pair of hands tackle him to the ground. Then a loud bomb go off. Then two cannon fires.

It all happened so fast that Noah couldn't process it.

“Get off of him,” he heard Emma scream before the weight was lifted off. Then there was another cannon fire. Noah was hoisted to his feet by his friend.

“Are you okay, Noah?” she questioned him, dusting him off. Noah could barely hear her. Like Jo, his eardrums were ringing loudly and his head felt foggy. He stumbled forward and almost toppled onto the ground, but Emma prevented him from falling onto his face.

“Where is Eva? Izzy?”

“I-” Emma turned to the Cornucopia.

“They-no. I- Please don't-” Noah choked out. He refused to face it. But everybody knew what had happened.

Not only was Dawn taken from him, but now Eva and Izzy.

The color drained from his face. His body shook with rage. He couldn't make a single noise. His body refused to stop the aching he felt.

“I gotta go,” Emma said, spotting Jo in the distance charging towards them. While Emma ran for the woods, Noah stood in place. He picked up one of her knives that she conveniently left on the floor and thrown it expertly at Jo, causing her to collapse. A cannon fired. He didn't hear it.

When he came back to his senses, he forgot about the backpacks and turned around. He didn't want it anymore. Nothing could help. He kept running to wherever he could. Away from this place. Maybe to the river. It was wherever his frantic mind could take him.

But he came tumbling down to the floor, bringing another camper with him. Noah grunted when he hit the ground.

“H-hey, I'm s- Noah? You're still alive?”

Cody sat in front of Noah on the dirt, eyes wide. Noah shook his head and then let his eyes focus on Cody. Even though his vision was still blurry, he could still make out the expression of relief and admiration on the other's face.

“Holy shit, I've been looking all over for you. Like, you don't even know.”

Cody couldn't stop himself from going to hug his friend tightly once they were both off the ground. He couldn't stop the tears from dripping onto Noah's shirt, either. Noah, of course, didn't mind. He was just happy that he could see Cody alive and not being carried off by a helicopter to wherever. But he was still breathing and they were now right in front of each other. Noah swore he wouldn't let him get out of his sight again.

“We have to go. I'm going to die if we stay here. I'm scared shitless,” Cody said with worry in his voice.

“I know a place we can go that we'll be safe for the night. Don't worry, I'll bring you there.”

Noah outstretched his hand to Cody, who hesitated to grab it. Noah lightly shook his hand to signal that he didn't have bad intentions. Cody trusted him enough to make the decision to grab his hand and let Noah lead him to where he planned to bring them.

There was yet another cannon shot. This time, Noah's heart didn't jump.

Truthfully, Noah couldn't remember where Shawn's hideout was without the help of his friends. But he knew exactly where the first one was.

The memories hit Noah like a brick wall when he brought Cody down. He almost expected Eva, Izzy, and Dawn to be waiting down there for him, telling him that they're happy they found Cody and they were both safe. But it was empty. Cody didn't understand why Noah was silent for a few minutes. He figured he wouldn't ask.

The rustling in Noah's back snapped him out of his trance. Cody looked at him, startled. Noah took his backpack off his shoulder and unzipped it to allow Danielle out. She stretched her little legs out, then crawled on the floor where Dawn slept before. Noah wondered if Danielle knew.

“Why do you have a bunny with you?”

“Dawn picked it up. I haven't had the heart to let her go.”

“Oh.”

Noah looked outside to see the sun beginning to sink in the sky. He sighed loudly. He wasn't hungry or tired. Nothing reasonable could help him feel better. Even though it wasn't probably fake, he wished this was all just one awful trick Chris was playing and he'd see his friends on a different island.

Cody put a hand on his shoulder. “I'm so glad you're alive. You don't even know,” he said with a toothy smile. Noah felt butterflies in his stomach.

“I thought you'd be dead by the first night. I'm so thrilled you're actually, you know, here.”

“I almost got killed by Heather, like, twice. Too bad she tripped over her heels twice.”

“Do you think she's even alive?”

Cody shrugged. “Who knows. Who even cares?”

Noah laughed, but then bit his lip until he tasted his own blood on his tongue. He immediately began to feel bad for laughing at Heather's inevitable death. She still didn't deserve to have her life taken from her, despite being the biggest bitch they knew back on Wawanakwa Island. Her family could be mourning over her right now, but he was sitting here in a dank cave, laughing about it. Cody didn't seem to care about laughing about it, though.

Noah took a deep breath.

“Hey, Cody, I figure I should just, uh-” Noah stopped himself.

“Yeah?”

“Cody, I-”

He couldn't spit it out. No matter how he tried, he just couldn't force the words to form coherent sentences in his mind and roll off his tongue. He just couldn't, no matter how hard he tried.

Cody looked at him with a cocked head and yet he had a genuine smile on his cheeks. Noah sat him down, where he and Dawn previously slept. Danielle climbed onto Cody's lap this time, getting used to the new face and even warming up to him a bit. She stilled missed Dawn, though, and Cody could easily tell that.

Noah continued. He had to. This might be the only opportunity he had; if he died, he would have died with that secret and it would have weighed down on him forever. He had to say it before it was too late.

“I have, uh, feelings for you, C-”

He was interrupted by the feeling of Cody's lips pressed against his. He shut his eyes and leaned into him, grabbing his hands softly. Once they parted, they both looked at each other with a mixture of surprise and joy.

“I've loved you since the first season, Noah.”

“I'm really glad you felt it, too.”

The romance wasn't the first thing on their minds at a time like this. But being with each other made things a little bit more bearable. They leaned in for yet another long yet passionate kiss, holding onto each other. Noah broke the kiss for a moment.

“What's up?” Cody asked, rubbing the back of Noah's hand with his thumb in little circles.

“I lost so many people during the Games, I can't lose you, too, Cody, I don't know how the fuck I'll carry on.”

“You won't lose me. I'll make sure of it.”

“There can only be one winner, though, how the fuck are we going to break that rule?” Noah rarely swore unless he was stressed or anxious. And he was both right now.

“Hell, there has to be a way. We can find a loophole. We can just never kill each other and Chris will get bored eventually.”

“But there are two other people who are out there right now. You know they can just take us out.”

Danielle chirped in her sleep and kicked her legs against Cody's thighs. Cody grinned down at her and slowly stroked her back.

“Hey, Cody.”

“Yeah?”

“If I end up dying, can you take care of Danielle for me? She was Dawn's when she was alive and she's been the only thing I've had in memory of her. I've had her to comfort me when things get rough and she's always done the trick.”

Cody nodded slowly towards him. “Of course I will. For you.”

Noah suddenly pulled Cody into a tight embrace. “Thank you.”

Before Cody would respond, the intercom turned on and they heard Chris clear his throat.

“Good evening to my lovely, bloodthirsty campers! We've had a stunning amount of views today, enough to confirm that tomorrow will be one of the last days!”

Both of them were relieved to hear that. They wanted to leave as soon as they could.

“Today's victims are Crimson, Ezekiel, Carrie, Ryan, MacArthur, Leonard, Ennui, Tammy, Anne Maria, Dakota, Scarlett, Max, Taylor, Sam, Heather, Sugar, Bridgette, Beardo, Devin, Josee, Jacques, Leshawna, Lindsey, Tom, Sanders, Spud, Eva, Izzy, Lightning, Jo, and Jasmine. You can take a moment to mourn them if you'd like, or you can continue trying to survive.”

Noah took a minute to miss Eva and Izzy. His heart sank into his stomach; he almost felt like vomiting. Cody grabbed his hand and kissed his cheek lovingly. At least Emma was still alive if she was even going to make it through the night without the other camper killing her. He hated thinking about her dying. He was going to go mad if he thought any more about his friends getting killed. The never ending images flooding his mind kept him from attempting to cheer himself up.

“Tomorrow, when you wake up, be prepared to try to make it to the end. Remember, you have millions of dollars at stake. So, get to rest so you can work at your best tomorrow. Good luck and good night!”  
Noah forgot about the prize money that was up for grabs to whoever won the Games. He would give it back in a heartbeat if it meant getting his friends back. All he wanted was peace of mind and to feel his friends laughing right beside him like they always have been. He missed them more than any prize money he could win.

“We should sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.”

“You're right,” Noah choked out. He pulled the blanket out of his backpack and covered up the two of them. Danielle crawled on top, finding herself between the two boys comfortably. Cody wrapped his arms around Noah's waist and drifted off, having no trouble falling into a deep slumber.

Noah, on the other hand, was up all night thinking to himself into a state of despair, wallowing in his own depression for hours while the crickets chirped and the wild wolves howled into the night. He refused to sleep and succumb to his dreams. He attempted counting the stars in the sky and then the branches on each tree that he could see outside the entrance of the small cavern. It beats being met with nightmares. But with the anxiety constantly draining his energy, he had no power left to keep his eyes open.

Cody woke him up a few hours later, but not in any rushing way that made Noah's heart drop. The morning had already begun outside, which means it was possibly the last day on this island. Fortunately, Noah didn't remember his dreams and can't remember if he even had one or if he was caught in dream purgatory like some kind of deep meditation the whole night. Cody looked like he was fully refreshed and had just come back from going out for a bit. He never struck Noah as being an early bird. But he walked over to him with a bit of pep in his step. He held something tightly in his hands.

“What do you have?” Noah asked.

“Got some of the good berries. They have a bush nearby, did you know that?”

Noah shook his head tiredly. Izzy was the one who could identify the berries. Noah had really no idea how to other than what she informed him.

“Well, it's just seconds away from here. I learned a bit of what the good and bad berries are from Scarlett when I hung out with her a bit before I lost her.”

“That's interesting.” Noah was too tired to really hold a conversation. His head was still spinning from the explosion from yesterday. He still felt lifeless and like a walking zombie.

“We can eat a bit and make our way around to see who is left. I don't think we'd be safe just staying here and wasting the day away.”

“I agree.”

“Here. Eat up now. You need the energy.”

Cody dropped a handful into Noah's hands before popping a few berries into his mouth. Noah, without any delay, ate the berries with one big scoop of his hand. They tasted bitter, but not bitter enough to make Noah spit them out onto the floor in front of him. He needed the nourishment if he was going to have a chance at surviving today.

He felt better knowing Cody was here. That's all that mattered to him today. That and fulfilling his promise to Dawn while avenging the deaths of his friends.

The two packed the blanket up neatly and tucked Danielle safely into Noah's backpack. Once they made sure they had no more belongings to be left behind, they took off in the direction of the Cornucopia. By Cody's logic, people might be gathering there by now in anticipation for an event.

They heard a cannon fire from the distance and the pair turned to each other in confusion. Had they really made it to the final three? Do they actually have a shot at winning this? They kept walking until they found a familiar body. At least, Noah could recognize who it was.

Emma still had blue juice dripping down her face like she savagely scarfed the berries down as if her life depended on it. Her hands were still clutching a few of the bright blue berries, but most of them had fallen onto the floor next to her. Her whole body was stiff and lifeless, eyes looking straight up at Noah, making him fear for his own life.

Cody just shook his head slowly and crossed his arms. “Those are the poisonous berries. Rookie mistake.”

He felt a pang of sadness. Emma's mouth started foaming as the two laid their eyes on the poor woman. Despite her situation, she looked at peace. Her clothes were tattered, hair frizzy and snarled, and she was completely silent and unbothered now. Soon enough, the helicopter would be disturbing her slumber and would be carrying her away to wherever Chris is dumping the bodies. Neither of them had any idea where he'd bring them to, but Noah hoped it was at least somewhere nice.

“Say hello to the others for me, Emma,” Noah whispered to himself, just soft enough so Cody didn't get the chance to catch it.

Just then, they heard a scream from behind them and a chorus of barks. Instinctively, the two grabbed each other's hands and ran, not even turning back to see what was going on. While they ran, Noah turned and saw Scott, making a beeline for them towards the Cornucopia followed by several huge dog-like creatures with foaming mouths. Noah's eyes widened and he picked his pace up, despite being tripped by the twigs and winding vines under him.

The Cornucopia was coming into sight now and the two plus the terrified Scott climbed it in a hurry while the dogs trailed right behind them. The dogs nipped at Scott's pants endlessly, making both of his shoes fall off and the bottoms of his pants tear into nothing but scraps. His shoes tumbling down onto the dogs only angered them further.

“So you two are the bastards who are left,” Scott growled, pulling out his knife, “I'm gonna have fun killing ya.”

Noah didn't have the chance to intervene before Scott grabbed Cody and held him at knifepoint. He perfectly aligned the knife to his throat. Noah pulled out his bow and arrow and aimed it at Scott's head.

“Go ahead. Do it. Lover boy will go down with me. I fucking dare you to even try it.” Scott tightened his hold on Cody, who gasped for air.

Images of Eva, Izzy, Dawn, Emma, and the other fallen campers flashed in front of his eyes like a horror movie. He couldn't lose Cody. Not in this way. There was no way in Hell he'd let Scott ruin this for him. His eyes scanned for a possible way out, looking Scott over.

“What are you gonna choose, dude? You can just let me win.”

“Fat chance,” Cody choked out. In response, Scott tightened his grip on Cody again. He shut up after a moment of straight up choking, just letting out a strained noise.

Noah had to think fast. His mind was racing. There was no more time to waste or else he'd be looking at facing off against Scott.

He remembered Duncan, his first kill in the arena. He'd never be able to forget the sight of his life drain from his eyes. It was one of the most haunting things Noah has ever done. Scott was trying to avenge his death. Just like Noah was trying to avenge Dawn, Eva, Izzy, Emma, Owen, any of his friends. The difference here was Scott and Duncan were bullies. But, even then, just like Heather, neither of them deserved to be killed at the hands of Chris. It was unfair.

He was filled with the overwhelming sense of regret.

“Come on, Noah. Make a fucking choice. You can just make this easy for me.”

He was growing impatient. Noah couldn't think anymore and dwell on the past. He could do that later. If there even was a later.

His heart was beating rapidly. His hands were trembling. He swore he was going to die before he could make the shot. Maybe he'd drop dead right here. Maybe Cody could just win this and get this shit over with. He wanted it to end already before he went fucking insane.

His mind was racing at a hundred miles a minute.

He released the arrow, barely having time to make a proper aim. The arrow landed right in his hand, causing Scott to grab it and drop Cody onto the roof of the Cornucopia. In Scott's agony, he tripped over Cody's outstretched legs. He lost his balance and tumbled down into the rabid pack of dogs, where he let out one of the most blood-curdling screams Noah and Cody have ever heard.

Noah's heart didn't stop beating rapidly until he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist. Cody sounded like he was gasping for air. Noah let him catch his breath.

It seemed like Scott hung onto life for hours. But he stopped screaming at some horrid point. Then the cannon fired. The barks ceased. When Noah and Cody looked down, they were no longer there. Neither of them noticed a helicopter come by and scoop up Scott and the dogs, but neither of them sat there anymore.

The two climbed off the cornucopia, helping each other off of it. Once they were both on stable ground again, Noah latched onto Cody and gave him the tightest hug he's ever given. Cody quickly reciprocated, resting his head on his shoulder and choking back tears. It was nice to get a moment of peace without the fear of being killed on sight.

It took a moment for Chris to make an announcement over the intercom.

“Congrats to our two final contestants, Noah and Cody!”

It didn't hit the pair that they were really the last two standing. For two campers that thought they'd be dead by the first night, they sure made a name for themselves. They had made it through the torture and the constant, terrifying feeling of knowing they have very limited time left.

“Noah and Cody, you two have made it so far in the Games and I'm so thrilled to say that now, you will have to choose who will be the winner. I'll let you talk that out. But, for now, good luck and may the best camper win!”

He hung up the intercom, causing a bit of feedback to ring throughout the island.

It was like that fleeting moment of peace was ripped from their hands before their very eyes.

They turned to each other with wide eyes.

“Cody.”

“He can't do this. Can he?”

Noah shook his head. He didn't know if there was even a way out of this. Both of them knew it was inevitable, but they didn't think that it would happen. They didn't feel they were safe from the other campers, but they never expected they wouldn't be able to feel safe around each other. It wasn't like they could both decide to just live on the island, Chris has full control of this show now. He can get the mutts on them. He can drown them. He can do whatever he damn well pleased.

“This is the end,” Noah muttered, pressing his forehead against Cody's softly. He could see his family watching the television back at home, looking at their son hoping he'd be coming home safe and sound while the other families planned funerals and services. He could imagine Cody's family watching with baited breath. They were both rooting for their own son. But neither son wanted to win over the other.

It wasn't enough to make them choose to kill the other.

The silence in the air was tense.

“I have an idea,” Cody whispered to Noah. Noah looked into his eyes. They could feel Chris' gaze pressing onto their backs, impatiently waiting for one of them to finally drop dead so he can claim a winner after all these days of watching his contestants die off.

But, if Cody was right, he wouldn't get his way.

Cody darted off into the woods. Noah tapped his foot, letting the pent up anxiety out. He waited until he saw the scrawny boy run back with some of the berries that Emma had earlier. He gave Noah a look that he knew what he was doing. Noah trusted him.

“Here,” Cody said, holding his hand out to Noah, “take these.”

He does as he's told, picking up a handful of poison berries. He held some up to Noah's hands' length.

"On the count of three, eat these berries. If both of us can't win, then no one can win."

Noah looked up him but didn't object. He could imagine Chris rolling out of his seat in terror. Cody was trustworthy. He trusted him to die alongside Noah. Noah trusted that maybe, Cody knew what he was doing.

He looks up at the sky. “You want a game, Chris? Here's your fucking game. This is what you're going to get.”

One.

Two.

Thr-

The intercom sounded before either of them could take a bite out of the berries. "Stop, stop! Ladies and gentleman, I present the winners of the Total Drama Hunger Games, Noah and Cody," Chris exclaimed in a panic. The weight Noah's been holding on his shoulders for the past week was lifted off. The two looked at each other with complete shock, berries still in hand.

“Holy sh-”

Noah wrapped his arms around Cody, flinging the berries behind him and snaking his arms around him. Cody dropped the berries down to the ground, not noticing as they scattered all around him. The two hugged, both of them almost sobbing with excitement. As they jumped up and down, the helicopter made the wind pick up around them. Parallel to them, a ladder dropped.

“Let's go. Chris is probably fucking pissed,” Noah said to Cody, nudging him playfully.

“He wanted a show and he fucking got one.”

“Good.”

In the helicopter, nobody but the driver was there. The two watched the island get smaller and disappear at some point. Noah felt a rustling in his bag and remembered that Danielle was still in there. He pulled her out and sat her in between the two of them. She took a moment to sniff out her surroundings, hopping around. The jolt of the helicopter brought her immediately back to Noah's lap.

Noah did it for Dawn. He did it for Eva. He did it for Izzy.

Cody was safe with him. They can go home. They can make a home for themselves.

The sound of Chris' voice buzzed over a speaker in the back of the helicopter, startling Noah. Cody just rolled his eyes, coming down from the adrenaline high he's been constantly feeling since the initial gong went off.

“I don’t like that little stunt you two pulled out there, Cody. I ought to bring you both back into that arena and leave so you both starve to death,” he said, anger ringing in his voice. Cody and he looked at each other nervously.

“Chris, please, you already got your fun. You murdered everybody on that island and only two out of how many people there were survived your little game. You got your damn wish, ” Cody shouted at him with a sense of confidence he had nearly developed.

“Whatever. We still got incredible ratings, so maybe I'll let you two off the hook for now. Depends on how I'm feeling and I'm feeling a bit generous right now. I'll figure out what to do with you two later. I have a ceremony to plan.”

With that, the speaker buzzed and turned off.

 


End file.
